Comments on: Filling Our Footprints

By: Ruth

Ruth — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 04:27:53 +0000

How true! I did that too. Except I tried to walk in my daddy’s foot prints. In winter. The snowbanks were deep and as my little feet would step into his footprints - COLD ICY SNOW would fall into my boots.

God bless you! Thank you for sharing…

By: Janice (5 Minutes for Mom)

Janice (5 Minutes for Mom) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:31:11 +0000

Thanks for that encouragement Marybeth.

My son insists on being like his us - it is cute and scary!

By: alison

alison — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:56:15 +0000

What a very necessary reminder!!!

By: Ellen

Ellen — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:16:51 +0000

MaryBeth, Good capture of how our lives are made up of small exchanges, with lots of unexpected realities entering our lives, we always have choices as Moms in responding. As every young parent discovers, the crucible of parenthood isn’t rescuing children from burning houses; it’s the 3 am feeding, the scary dream at 5yr and the bad hair days of middle school. We remember Jesus for his Calvary sacrifice, do you think his truest moments were the many small instances when he turned aside to care for specific people? God stands before us in “the least of these”.

By: Laurel Wreath

Laurel Wreath — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:28:33 +0000

I love this. I even passed this on to my sister to read. Great Great words of wisdom.

I especially love “Don’t let the thought of your children looking to you as an example make you fearful. God knows you, He knows your kids, and He sees your heart. In His sovereignty, He chose you as the mother of these children for such a time as this.”

Yes, Yes, Yes….

By: Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)

Susan (5 Minutes for Mom) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:00:49 +0000

What a wonderful image — jumping from footprint to footprint.

Thank you for such an important reminder. My little girl is only 16 months and it is amazing how toddlers already love to imitate. She loves to carry her dolls around and push them in the doll stroller.

By: Erna

Erna — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:38:52 +0000

I am often amazed that God has entrusted me with two beautiful little girls who will try to mimic what I do. It is an awesome responsibility and I am glad He goes before me. I am also greatly humbled when He uses them as a mirror to show me exactly who I am and where I need to change in certain areas of life. I don’t know who is learning more . . . me or them. :0) Then, I find myself totally inspired by my little girl’s intense desire to be feminine. She just loves to wear skirts, parade her outfits before her Daddy, and wear aprons whenever she cooks. She’s a little lady. She doesn’t have a care in the world (well, not totally true I guess but not cares like mine). As an adult, it is sometimes easier to leave the good clothes for good days because my little ones might soil it. :0) Enough rambling here . . . this just made me think of quite a few things that have already been on my heart in recent days. :0)

By: Lindsey @ Enjoythejourney

Lindsey @ Enjoythejourney — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 03:46:03 +0000

Marybeth,
I am a local homeschooler in NC and I always love your column in the greenhouse report—so glad to find your writings online now!

Have a blessed day.

By: Barb

Barb — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 04:56:41 +0000

One thing I learned very early in my motherhood journey…children do not come with instruction manuals. And we’re not born knowing how to be moms. I never doubted for one moment that some major outside help was happening. Even when I was at my least confident that I had a clue what I was doing, I knew God was guiding me. Thank goodness!

I have two daughters. They’re grown young women now. They are each wonderful in their own way. And they still want to be just like me. And I have no idea why. But it makes me feel like somewhere along the way, with a whole lot of help from God, I accidentally got it right.